The Los Angeles Lakers are not expected to make any major moves this offseason as they view player development and roster balance as more important than the pursuit of a third star.
“I think a lot of their moves and what’s left are going to be minimum contracts, some moves around the edges,” said Adrian Wojnarowski during a Wednesday morning Sports Center appearance. “There’s not a dramatic deal for the Lakers to do out in the marketplace. They don’t want to use their draft picks to get contracts off. They’ll certainly use them if there is a player that makes sense as part of a bigger deal. Right now, they’re not involved in any deals that would certainly land them a third star. They’re seeing the landscape of this league and that the three-star model with this salary cap, doesn’t work, is much more difficult for it to work.”
The Lakers have potential trade candidates for major matching salary in D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura, but there are limited options available and are now being protective of their future draft picks.
LeBron James was open to taking less money if the Lakers could secure a commitment from a specific target with the midlevel exception, but options such as Klay Thompson, James Harden and Jonas Valanciunas signed elsewhere. James and the Lakers have since finalized a two-year, $104 million deal with a no-trade clause.